Marc Murphy is helped from the field after a heavy hit from Shane Mumford. Picture: AAP Image/Dylan Coker.

AFL

‘You’ve seen the worst side of Carlton’: Bolton

by Ben Horne and Tim Michell

20th May 2019 7:00 AM
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EMBATTLED Carlton coach Brendon Bolton insists he won't let outside pressure bring him down as he braces to face the music over his future.

Bolton is now staring down the barrel of a fight for survival following Sunday's catastrophic 93-point loss to GWS which has left the Blues anchored to the bottom of the table with a dismal 1-8 record.

Carlton famously axed their last coach Mick Malthouse after just eight rounds, and although the circumstances involving Bolton are markedly different, the Blues' four-year rebuild project appears back at square one.

Bolton, 40, admitted Sunday's humiliating capitulation, coming just two weeks after a 58-point pummelling to North Melbourne, was the "worst of" Carlton, and understands he will now be put under an intense spotlight.

"I understand the business. I've been in it a little while. Today our group didn't deliver. You've seen the worst side of Carlton," said Bolton.

"You've seen some of the better efforts in the last few weeks. But our job is about being consistent and when you don't, external pressure comes.

"We as a group are really united on our direction going forward and my job, is to make sure that we talk about how to improve.

"I can't let the outside infiltrate.

The pressure will come for Brendon Bolton. Picture: Phil Hillyard

"We know that we'll get some criticism for this game. Deservedly so. But that can't blur what we're doing and how we go about it.

"That's my job as a leader but our club as a united front needs to continue to do that."

The Blues rallied well after the North Melbourne thrashing to push Collingwood, but it's clear the build-up of defeats is starting to take its toll.

Superstar midfielder Patrick Cripps was completely silenced by uncompromising Giants tagger Matt de Boer, and his 12 disposals must surely rank as one of the lowest outputs of his career.

Carlton look like a one-man-band, and with Cripps taken out of the game, no one stood up to fill the void.

"It's sort of like one step forward, a couple back at the moment," said Bolton.

"It's a difficult explanation. Our challenge is to aspire to and be a team at that level that we faced today (in GWS).

"I think we can help 'Cripper' out a little bit more than what we did today."

Bolton said Marc Murphy was taken to hospital for scans on a rib injury, but refused to weigh in on whether Giants ruckman Shane Mumford should face scrutiny for the challenge, where he appeared to collect the former Blues captain with his knees in a tackle.

"I haven't looked at it in totality," he said. "had a quick glance and just saw a collision where Mummy charged into the contest but I didn't look at it tight enough to see if there's anything more in it."

Giants coach Leon Cameron said his information - without having seen the tape himself - was that Mumford had nothing to worry about.